Ground History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Ground is a Dalriadan-Scottish name, no doubt originally for a person who lived on the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides. The name is derived from Gaelic Mac Crain. 1

Early Origins of the Ground family

The surname Ground was first found in the islands of Jura and Islay, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Ground family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ground research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1649, 1856 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ground History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ground Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Ground has appeared in various documents spelled MacCraney, Craney, Crainey, MacCrain, McCranie, MacCranny, MacCranne, MacCranney, MacCrayne and many more.

Early Notables of the Ground family

More information is included under the topic Early Ground Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ground family to Ireland

Some of the Ground family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ground migration to the United States +

Many who arrived from Scotland settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would go on to become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many settlers who remained loyal to England went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Their descendants later began to recover the lost Scottish heritage through events such as the highland games that dot North America in the summer months. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Ground family emigrate to North America:

Ground Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Augusta Ground, aged 39, arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Westernland" from Antwerp, Belgium 2
William Ground, aged 23, arrived in New York in 1894 aboard the ship "Spaarndam" from Rotterdam, Netherlands 2
Anna Ground, aged 21, arrived in New York in 1894 aboard the ship "Spaarndam" from Rotterdam, Netherlands 2

Ground migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 3

Ground Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Robert Ground, (b. 1612), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, UK arriving in St Christopher (St. Kitts) on 5th January 1634 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Ground (post 1700) +

Sir Richard William Ground (1949-2014), English judge in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda

The Ground Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Amor proximi
Motto Translation: The love of our neighbor.

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)